Skip to content

Jesus Abjad + Basmala

JESUS, THE ALPHABET, ABJAD AND THE BASMALA.

Stephen Lambden - under revision and completion.

Last revised 05-02-2016

The Alpha-Beta Logion

The alpha-beta (= “A”-“B”) logion in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

A motif and associated story that is of considerable interest in the history of religious ideas within the related major Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) is that of the innately wise child explaining the meaning of the first letters of the alphabet ("A", "B" ) or some other related subject so as to confound his elders and express his mastery or arcane matters. Here aspects of its history will be traced and commented upon as will its role in the evolving historiography and theology of the recent post-Islamic Babi and Baha'i religions.

Central to the many versions of the story of Jesus and the alphabet or of his first day at school is the so-called Alpha-Beta Logion which is found in the Epistula Apostolorum [4], attributed to the Marcosians by Irenaeus (Adv. Haer. I.xx.1) and contained in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas (Greek A + B + Syriac + Latin + Arabic, etc.) and the related Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (Latin + Slavonic + Arabic + Ethiopic, etc.). Perhaps having originated among second-century Christian gnostics, the following are a few versions of it: [19]

  • Epist. Apost.: "[Before I say Alpha] First tell me what Beta is." (Greek text corrupt?) Greek A [Infancy Gosp. Thorn.]: "How do you, who do not know the Alpha according to its nature, teach others the Beta." (Also quoted above.) 
  • Greek B [Infancy Gosp. Thorn.] "Thou that knowest not the Alpha, how canst thou teach another the Beta?" Arabic: "Explain to me Alaph, and then I shall say Beth."[20]

 

 

Imām, Ja`far al-Ṣādiq (d.765 CE)

In Shī`ī literatures it is often the sixth Shī'ī Imām, Ja`far al-Ṣādiq (d.765 CE) who states that the child Jesus, explained the first letter, the letter "B" of the basmala to his bewildered schoolteacher, in terms of  "The letter "B" signifies Bahā’-Allāh". One of the most important early Shi`i Qur'an Commentaries is the Tafsir of Abi al-Ḥasan `Alī ibn Ibrāhīm al-Qummi (d. XXX /XXX ). In its comments on the basmalah (of Q. 1:1a) after a long and complex isnad (see below) tracing the hadith back though a certain Abi Baṣīr it is stated that Ja`far al-Ṣādiq said

"I say regarding the Tafsir of the بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم (Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahmin (In the Name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate ...... (long isnad).... [relayed] from Abi Baṣīr from Abi `Abd-Allah (= Ja`far al-Sadiq), He said, "I asked him about the Tafsir of the  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم    (bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahmin) and he [Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq] said, " The [letter] "B" (bā') is Bahā’-Allāh ("the Glory of God"), the [letter] "s" (sīn) is Sanā'-Allāh ("the Brightness of God") while the [letter] "M" (mīm) is the Mulk-Allāh ("the Dominion of God") and Allāh is [is indicative of] the God of everything. "The Merciful" الرحمن  is [pertinent to] the totality of His creatures and "the Compassionate" الرحيم  [pertains to] such as are specifically believers (al-mu'minīn)..."

The Tafsīr of Tha`labī  (d. 435/1037).

 

"I heard Abu Qasim Hasan ibn Muhammad say, I heard....   Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn `Amr al-Wiraq say regarding the    بسم الله    that it is a garden among the gardens of Paradise (rawdat min riwad al-jannat) [and that] for every letter of it there is an interpretation (tafsir) without limit. Thus, the letter "B" (al-ba') has six or more senses [1] The Bari (= Creator) of His Creation from the [celestial] Throne [on high] to the [lowly] dust [below] , [2]  ADD

(Tha`labi, Tafsir, Kashf al-Bayan, 1: 93-94).

 

The  Qisas al-anbiyā' (Tales of the prophets) of Muhammad ibn `Abd-Allāh al-Kisā'ī's (13th CE).

This following version of the story of Jesus' first day at school is translated from an Arabic recension of Muhammad b. Abdu'lláh Kisá 'i's Qisasu'l-Anbiyá (Tales of the prophets, 13th cent. CE.,  and early translated into Persian), has Jesus assume the position of teacher and explain the significance of the twenty-two letters of the "Hebrew" alphabet. Jesus' bewildered tutor takes the learned child back to his mother, telling her that he is in no need of instruction.

This following version of the story of Jesus' first day at school is translated from an Arabic recension of Muhammad b. Abdu'lláh Kisá 'i's Qisas al-anbiyyá (Tales of the prophets, 13th cent. CE.,  and early translated into Persian), has Jesus assume the position of teacher and explain the significance of the twenty-two letters of the "Hebrew" alphabet. Jesus' bewildered tutor takes the learned child back to his mother, telling her that he is in no need of instruction.

 

"Mary took Jesus to a teacher. The teacher asked, "What is your name?" Say the alphabet," said the teacher.  "What is the alphabet?" asked Jesus. "I do not know," he replied.  Then said Jesus, "Get up from your place so I may sit there, and I shall teach you the explanation of the alphabet." The teacher got up, and Jesus sat down and said, "The alphabet begins with four letters, alif, be, jim and dal:

  • [1] Alif: Allāh, "God";
  • [2] Be: Bahā Allāh, "God's splendour";
  • [3] Jim: Jalāl Allāh, "God's awesomeness";
  • [4] Dāl: Din Allāh, "God's religion";
  • [5] He: Huwa Allāh, "He is God";
  • [6] Wāw: Waylat Allāh, "God's woe";
  • [7] Zayn: Zabāniyat al-kāfirin, "the myrmidons of infidels";
  • [8] Hā: Hitta li'l-khāti'ín, "forgiveness for those in error";
  • [9] Ṭā': Shajarat Túbā li'l-mu'minín, "the Tuba tree for believers";
  • [10] Ya: Yad Allāh 'alā khalqihi ajam'ín, "God's hand over all of his creation";
  • [20] Kaf: Kalām Allāh, "God's Word";
  • [30] Lam: Liqā' Allāh, "meeting God";
  • [40] Mim: Mālik yawm al-dín, "the king of the Day of Resurrection";
  • [50] Nun: Nūr Allāh, "God's light";
  • [60] Sin: Sunnat Allāh, "God's path";
  • [70] 'Ayn: 'Ilm Allāh, "God's knowledge";
  • [80] Fa: Fi'l Allāh, "God's action";
  • [90] Sad: Sidq Allāh fi wa'dih, "God's sincerity in His promise";
  • [100] Qaf: Qudrat Allāh, "God's might";
  • [200] Ra: Rabúbiyyat Allāh, "God's divinity";
  • [300] Shin: Mashí'at Allāh, "God's will";
  • [400] Te: Ta'allā Allāh'ammā yashkurún, "God is more exalted than that for which he is thanked."

    The teacher said to him, "You have done very well, Jesus." He took him to his mother and said, "Your child did not need a teacher" (Revised Trans.  From Thackston, The Tales of the Prophets of al- Kisa'i,  332-33).

Imam Muhammad Baqir on Jesus’ 1st Day at School

A similar version of Jesus' first day at school is referred to by E. Sell and D. S. Margoliouth in an article entitled "Christ in Mohammedan Literature" (in A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, Vol. II [Edinburgh, 1909]) — again attributed to the 5th Shi'i Imām:

Jesus was so intelligent that, when nine months old, his mother sent him to school. The master said the Bismi'llāh — " In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate" — which the child at once repeated after him. The Master then gave a number of words to be read, of which the first was abjad. Jesus wished to know why he should do this, upon which the master became angry and struck him. The child said: "If you know explain; if you do not, listen. In abjad, a stands for Allāh la ilah ("there is no God but God"), b for Bahjat Ullāh (“Grace of God"), j for Jalal-Allāh (“Glory of God"), d for Din-Allāh (“Religion of God").

See also, for a more or less parallel version of this narrative, al-Tha'labi, Qisas al-Anbiyā' (Cairo, 1382 A.H.) pp. 521-22.

The first  B  of the Basmala

"The "B" (al bā’) is the Beauty-Splendor of God (bahā’ Allāh), His delight (biḥjat), His Adversity (bilā’), His grace (baraka) and the commencement of his Name al-Bārī` (The Creator) ... (Tanwīr, 1412/1992 p. 3).

 

Ja'far al-Ṣādiq (d.145/765), the sixth, Imam.